SESAME Jordan rival Middle Eastern scientists collaboration

Scientists from rival Middle Eastern countries share a particle accelerator

In Jordan, a research facility called SESAME brings together scientists from countries that often have strained political relations. Its synchrotron accelerates electrons to produce intense light used to study materials, biology and archaeology. Scientific cooperation gives researchers a reason to work together even when their governments disagree.

The Spanish turned an Inca labor system into forced mine work

1 member per family

After conquering the Inca Empire, Spanish rulers took the existing mita labor system and used it for gold and silver mining. A family could be forced to send one member to work, and if that worker died, often within a year or two, the family usually had to send someone else.

Farm decline helped moose and bears return

In western Massachusetts, moose and black bears returned largely as forests regrew after agriculture declined. Reforestation on former farmland helped restore habitat for these larger mammals.

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SESAME Jordan rival Middle Eastern scientists collaboration

Scientists from rival Middle Eastern countries share a particle accelerator

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